Grand Cherokee concept unveiled at Houston show

This new production-intent Grand Cherokee concept was introduced this morning at the Houston Auto Show. (Jeep)

This morning at the 2012 Houston Auto Show, Jeep brand showed publicly for the first time a new, production-intent concept version of its Grand Cherokee. It features distinctive-yet-stealthy exterior cues designed to attract new Jeep Grand Cherokee enthusiasts and customers.

Jeep also announced it has created an online contest for consumers to name the new production-intent Grand Cherokee concept. The person who chooses the winning name will have an opportunity to win a new 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

“Highlighted by a unique platinum-chrome front-end appearance and distinctive black-gloss 20-inch wheels and exterior treatments, our new Grand Cherokee concept provides a completely new look — one that is edgy and aggressive, and certainly different than any Grand Cherokee on the road today,” said Mike Manley, President and CEO — Jeep Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “Jeep enthusiasts have always appreciated limited-edition models and the ability to customize their vehicles. This new Grand Cherokee comes with a unique, ‘factory-customized’ stealth appearance directly from Jeep, and is certain to attract interest from an array of potential customers.

“We plan to garner feedback from consumers at the Houston Auto Show, and via our online Jeep ‘Name My Ride’ contest,” Manley said. “If the level of excitement is what we anticipate, this new Grand Cherokee will be in Jeep showrooms this spring.”

9 Responses

wheel-well – tire gap is way too big, but that’s because someone thought low profile tires looked good on a pseudo-offroad vehicle…..they don’t. this is a very confused vehicle. It wants to be ghetto AND off-road, and like most otehr pimped SUVs does neither very well. Drop the body 3-4″ and then you might have something. But then it won’t do offroad very well, something which probably less than 1% of them do anyway.

I just don’t understand why so many things are trying to look like “Death Race 2000″. With the flat black look, black wheels, interiors, etc. it is just too much black and dark, depressing looking stuff. Reminds me of the Oregon Ducks atrocious new football uniforms this year, or the brief (thank goodness) terrible uniforms Stanford football sported. What is with this “stealth” look for everything? What happened to the “impact colors” of the late ’60s and early ’70s that were so audacious and stylish? Things like Go Mango, Panther Pink, Plum Crazy, LimeLight Green, TorRed, Curious Yellow, Lemon Twist Yellow, Grabber Blue? Now those were unique and stylish colors, but flat black for everything?

After I get to the show and can see some of these vehicles from different angles I’ll have a better idea of what I think of them but based on this one picture of the new Grand Cherokee I am not exactly blown away.

One vehicle I do want to take a closer look at is the Mazda CX-5. It looks kind of interesting.

another: what exactly is the “concept” part of this vehicle? The only change is cosmetic, there’s really nothing new about this other than a factory-direct exterior rice job that (as so aptly stated by henry) “17 year old with a credit account at Discount Tire and a JC Whitney catalog” could pull off. At least most 17 year olds would drop the thing a few inches…. Clearly Chrysler is attempting to move the Jeep line farther from the niche off-road market into the mainstream where they’ve actually been selling. No one does off road in a Grand Cherokee, at least no one with any brains but at least it had that aura. Not with this rice job.

This does nothing to enhance their off-road legacy, but merely dillutes it.